Ramblings and doodlings of an unsettled mind!

It cannot be argued otherwise but principally and morally wrong for Minister of Rural and Regional Development Dato’ Seri Mohd. Shafie Apdal to even suggest that there is a consideration to appeal on the Southwark Criminal Court’s judgment on Malaysian student Nur Fitri Azmeer Nordin.

Monday May 4, 2015 08:27 PM GMT+8 Shafie Apdal said the ministry may appeal a London court’s decision to sentence an ex-Mara student to five years in prison on 13 offences of possessing more than 30,000 pornographic images and videos of children. — Bernama pic

ROMPIN, May 4 — The Ministry of Rural and Regional Development will consider whether to appeal to the Southwark Crown court in London to reduce the sentence imposed on former Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) loan student Nur Fitri Azmeer Nordin, 23.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said this when commenting on the London court’s decision to sentence Nur Fitri to five years in prison on 13 offences of possessing more than 30,000 pornographic images and videos of children. “We can appeal (to reduce the length of the sentence), the problem is we are subjected to the prevailing laws of the country. We have to respect the laws that other countries practice,” he told reporters after attending the Mara programme with Rompin entrepreneurs in Kuala Rompin here, today.

According to British newspapers, the smart mathematics student at Imperial College London was arrested during a raid at his home in Queensborough Terrace nearby Hyde Park on November 20 last year, while 600 category ‘A’ videos and images — defined by the British authorities as ‘extreme form of child sexual abuse’ were seized.

Mara, who sent Nur Fitri to London to further his studies last year, terminated the study loan upon his conviction on April 30. — Bernama

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It is unsure what does the Minister in-charge of MARA attempting to gain with such a suggestive statement. Paedophile is utterly hedious crime in almost all sovereign societies.

It is almost very certain that even in Kuala Rompin, where the Minister was campaigning for the P99 Rompin Parliamentary by-election that the average fair minded folks in the area would reject the notion that it is fair to help the boy who committed such a heinous crime.

Nur Fitri did not commit a felony which average kids that age would probably inquisitively ventured to do, such as shop lifting, smoking marijuana, drunk and disorderly or even indecent behaviour. He fantasised sexual acts on minors who are by law prohibited to commit sexual acts, even by their own will and device,

That is highly in-despicable.

Malaysian Government has a moral duty to help any of the citizens of Malaysia when they are in trouble when they are abroad, even by their own device. However, that obligation should never be extended to people who have been convicted as a sexual deviant in a court of law for highly immoral crime.

It is a matter of principle. That is very important, to educate other Malaysians especially those who are impressionable and probably would have the tendency to experiment or veer off-course when they are all by themselves in a land far away from home.

*Updated Thursday 7 May 2015

More Cabinet Ministers voiced their discern for the suggestion of assistance to MARA student Nur Fitri Nordin after Southwark Crown Court convicted him for nine months jail for being a paedophile.

Astro Awani story:

There should be zero-tolerance against paedophiles: Khairy

Bernama | Updated: May 06, 2015
(First published on: May 06, 2015 20:05 MYT)
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There should be zero-tolerance against paedophiles: Khairy
It was reported that when British police raided his home in Queensborough Terrace last year, they found Nur Fitri Azmeer (pic) with his laptop open, next to a life-size mannequin of a young boy.
PERMATANG PAUH: Paedophilia should never be condoned in a civilised nation like Malaysia and there should be ‘zero-tolerance’ towards paedophiles, said Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

He hoped that Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) would reject the idea to appeal for its sponsored student Nur Fitri Azmeer Nordin, 23, who is now undergoing five-year imprisonment in the United Kingdom after pleading guilty at a London court recently to possessing more than 30,000 images and videos on child pornography.

“This is a reminder to MARA’s board, do not be influenced by its members…(because) we must have zero-tolerance on paedophilia,” he said when met by reporters at Kampung Sama Gagah, here, today.

Khairy, who is UMNO Youth chief, was asked to comment on the statement from his UMNO Youth executive committee member Nazir Hussin Akhtar Hussin, who is also a MARA board member, that Nur Fitri Azmeer should be given a second chance.

READ: MARA to give Nur Fitri Azmeer a second chance

Nazir Hussin, in a recent news report, was quoted as saying that Nur Fitri should be given chance to pursue his study once he settled the punishment, and returned back to Malaysia.

When asked to comment further about Nazir Hussin’s statement, Khairy insisted that the former was commenting based on his capacity as a MARA board member and not representing the UMNO wing.

On May 2, MARA had terminated its study loan given to Nur Fitri Azmeer with immediate effect following his conviction for being in possession of images and videos on child pornography by a London court on Thursday (April 30).

READ: MARA terminates Nur Fitri Azmeer’s study loan

News portal United Kingdom International Business Times had reported that Nur Fitri Azmeer was sentenced to five years jail by the Southwark Crown, London after he pleaded guilty to 17 offences, including possession of indecent images and videos of children, with intent to distribute the material.

READ: Why should a paedophile be given a second chance? – Social media

Anifah Aman: Government will not ‘rescue’ child porn convict from British jail

BY M. KUMAR

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Government will not step in to help Mathematics scholar Nur Fitri Azmeer Nordin (pic) who is serving a 18-month jail sentence for possession of child pornography material in Britain.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said that the Government viewed the matter gravely and would not step in to “save” Malaysians who had committed crimes abroad.

“Do not confuse consular services and the preservation of basic human rights with a right to be saved when committing an act deemed as a serious and inhumane crime, especially one related to children,” he said in a statement Thursday.

He also said that it is high time Malaysia considered establishing a register of convicted paedophiles that would be publicly available.

“I believe that this will act as a strong deterrent against such crimes, and parents and communities with young children will feel safer,” he said.

On Friday, British newspapers reported that student Nur Fitri Azmeer Nordin was arrested in his bedroom in Queensborough Terrace, London on Nov 21 last year.

He was found to be using his laptop, sitting next to a life-sized mannequin of a boy.

In his computer was a cache of child pornography images and videos of minors being abused.

Many of the files were classified as Category A, meaning they depicted the most extreme form of abuse.

Nur Fitri was reportedly sentenced to jail after pleading guilty to 13 offences, including possession of indecent images and videos of children, with intent to distribute the material.

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Hence, Shafie should retract his suggestion to provide Nur Fitri a ‘second chance’.

One psychiatrist has said the student may have a psychiatric problem and needs help. The number of photos etc in his possession suggests the student has a psychiatric problem. If so, he should be made to go or dragged to see a Psychiatrist for an evaluation of his mental health.

If diagnosed as having a problem, MARA should show leniency – it’s a disease, the student would not have asked for it. Unlike Anwarul Al Juburi who picked up the habit at a boys’ hostel and doing it to other than small kids. His is just a preference, like homosexuals who even marry same sex in US and UK.

MARA was last reported as saying the student may be allowed to study in Malaysia. Good. Under rigid laws against homos and sex against kids. His scholarship was for excellence in Mathematics that the highly regarded Imperial College, London, has acknowledged by accepting him as a student. That deserves a special consideration.

Note that he had possession of photos etc but no evidence of doing sex acts on kids, And that in UK, so many of such acts were actually done on minors and kids over the years and mostly went unpunished, including BBC staff. Out in the British media only a few months ago.

Mara used to have an Officer in charge of its students in UK, based in London. May still have one now. That Officer should have an idea on the general behaviour of MARA students.

The sociable, extrovert students are generally ok. Those introverts, hardly mixing, should be enquired on, especially when they drop in the Officer’s office collecting monthly scholarship or loan payments or asking any other assistance. They say the loners are susceptible to depressive moods (a psychiatric defect) and wayward behaviour.

Mara should engage a good lawyer when appealing the case. A psychiatric evaluation on the student is a must for the next court hearing.

MARA council member Nazir Hussin Akhtar Hussin should have emphasized the possibility of the student’s mental state or illness from the psychiatric angle. He said Nur Fitri was a smart student and could be an asset to the country. That alone is not enough to say but pointing out the psychiatric angle will make people understand better.

Mental illness is not something any one would wish or ask for. Note that it afflicts even the supposedly healthiest members of society. King George VI, father of the present Queen of England, had a stammering problem, and that is a psychiatric illness he never chose to have – a film has been made of it.

Yet, for hundreds of years the royal family of England was a selected breed, Courtiers of olden times went about the length and breadth of the country looking candidates, healthy from the child-bearing and mental health considerations, to be wed into the children of their Kings and Queens. Poor George – the actor Colin Firth showed how frustrating (yet had to be dignified always) stammering was for the man having to deliver speeches, meet and talk to his people especially during war time.

And Child expert Dr Hartini Zaiduddin recommendation is acceptable. She said, “(The MARA student) should undergo intense rehabilitation and counselling first, and be monitored closely before he is allowed to attend any public university or college.” But more than “counselling” (which is not medical but only psychological), it must be a psychiatric evaluation by a medical specialist to determine if it’s a biological condition (not just a psychological, meaning environmental factors) that the young man has.

Forensic psychiatrist Bill Glaser wrote in the Australian Institute of Criminology Research and Public Policy, Series No 12 on Paedophilia Policy and Prevention, that studies have shown that locking such a person up would actually make it worse for both him and potential victims,

DAP MP Khairil Khir Johari asked for a sex offenders registry in view of the likely return of the student back to Malaysia “to allay concerns of parents whose children may be studying with the man.” – Malaymail

Doesn’t the stupid fellow know the 23 year-old student was caught with possessing pornographic images and videos of children – not adults or students of about the same age? Why do DAP select stupid people to be MPs?

And what about we ask for a Chinese-masquerading-Malays registry? So much has been said of his Chinese father and of his mother marrying the stupid Khir Johari when he was 8 years old.

Firstly, BD, thank you for being one of the few local blogs that I have seen addressing the issue of the MARA student charged and sentenced for possessing extreme images of child pornography.

Wan, instead of going on about Khairil Khir Johari and what he was quoted as saying, try instead to provide your opinion about the issue at hand. If this student comes back to Malaysia, completes his studies at a MARA institution locally and qualifies as, say, a Mathematics teacher, would you send your young son or daughter to his house for tuition classes? Yes or No?

The sex offenders registry is there for a reason. Perhaps you do not fully understand it. I’ll make it simple for you, would you want this individual in a position where he is in contact with young children, maybe even your own children, on a daily basis? Yes or No?

The comments that seem to be defending the fact that the MARA student had thousands of pornographic images and videos involving sex with children both shock and disgust me.

Isa,if you knew that the nice gentleman living right next door to you had 30,000 images and videos on his computer depicting sex with children, would you leave him alone in a room with your son or daughter? No? Don’t be a hypocrite.

My comment above already indicates my stand on the points you raised. But I’ll say more – even if it means repeating – now that you asked for it.

You should read in detail the first 2 comments above. A Medical doctor, a specialist/ Psychatrist has said the student could have problems that need to be looked at by a specialist, diagnosed and treated accordingly. If his problems are biological (not psychological due to environmental factors), he cannot be blamed. He had not asked for it – you know of anybody who asked to be ill?

Sure his treatment will include medication and regular check ups. Those under treatment can rejoin society and function normally. The US has been full of what used to be called “shrinks” or specialist doctors who treat those who succumbed to the constant pressures of a fast-moving, success-oriented society and the chasing of the often elusive American dream. Those who shoot people dead in US are hardly those “on the bend” but those angry at so many defects and deficiencies in the American society. Watch the TV, read the news about them and you’ll know.

So, no real issue with the Mathematics student back in Malaysia as a teacher whatever, so long as he is treated. Yes, I’d send my young son or daughter to his house for tuition classes. You have such narrow views about people who may have psychiatric illnesses. The British royal family may not like you, as King George VI had one. I saw that Colin Firth movie, too.

On May 6, 2015 at 20:54 Wan said:

No need to explain the sex offenders registry, Mister or Madam. But talking that way and saying a possible psychiatric case disgusts you makes you look like needing to grow up. Zairil Khir Johari used the words “sickened his stomach” or something, but he is a Malay-masquerading DAP bloke. Can I do one on you – what about you?

Have you ever read about the so many real child-abuse cases in UK, US etc, even involving those in the service of the Church, and not punished or penalised? Yes, we cannot condone our student having those thousands of pornographic images and videos, but you should at least wait until after a psychiatric evaluation on him. .

You even call Isa,a hypocrite in the same comment column that you call me that. And asking the same questions that you asked me. I have a sneaky suspicion that you are a Madam and I won’t want to go beyond just pointing that out. You heard the expression “chivalry is not dead”? But I won’t advise you to go near the easily-go-dead Al Qaeda, Taliban or ISIS areas – for the same reason.

And do thank our Government and the Police for enacting POTA and enforcing it well against those ISIS supporters and sympathizes, will you.

This Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin of the so-called G25 has gone one step further. She disputed MARA’s description of Nur Fitri as an ‘exemplary student’. Surely in the context said, MARA meant it in the academic sense.

MARA handles the student’s records, surely they know whether he is exemplary academically or not. And who is she to dispute that? Can she be called an “intellectual” like that?

And she goes rude, calling “.. the people running Mara have a warped sense of values.” Is that the language of an ex-diplomat? Leading a so-called group of Malay intellectuals?

If the Foreign Ministry/ Malaysian Government will not step in to help the Mathematics student, MARA should.

No need to go through government-to-government channels and the like but merely get a good lawyer to arrange for a psychiatric evaluation of the young man and file an appeal through the normal process of British law – if not already done. If the court was not notified of an appeal intention at the last hearing, why? Then get a better lawyer to sort that out.

If a reliable Psychiatrist finds him not mentally ill, a second opinion may be sought. If the second one gives the same finding and the student is just having the normal criminal tendencies, close the case, let him and his aptitude for Mathematics rot in jail.

One of the news updates up there says the student pleaded guilty to 17 offences, including possession of indecent images and videos of children, with intent to distribute the material.

Without a psychiatric evaluation, his plead may not have been a rational one, may in fact be a mentally sick one. I support the Psychiatrist (a Malaysian, I believe) who said that the student may have a psychiatric problem and needs help. This is his entire future, his whole life ahead of him and a sheer waste of his life and a huge regret by those concerned if he indeed has a psychiatric problem but not helped.

That Khairy made a strong statement in Permatang Pauh may be ascribed to his Ministerial position and he saying it during a political campaign. Khairy should give allowance for the fact that in this IT age, so many people have been so exposed and glued to electronic equipment like hand phones, ipads and laptops that the brain may be over-stressed every day. Internet articles and TV documentaries point out that stresses do trigger hereditary psychiatric symptoms that may exist in so many human beings but may have laid dormant through so many generations. Such that King George Vi was not lucky having it in his generation.

So, the least MARA should do is find a good Psychiatrist or two to evaluate the young man. Then nobody should live with a guilty conscience if the man turns out to be inflicted with an illness but not helped medically, allowed to rot in jail and ruin his entire life. .

DS Najib disagreed that public funds should be utilised to reduce the Mathematics student’s punishment. He missed the point. What is important is the psychiatrist evaluation. This should have been done before his trial. Wonder what kind of lawyer was made available to defend him and what kind of advice was given – one notes that the student pleaded guilty to 17 charges.

Help him by getting him evaluated by a psychiatrist. If deemed to be mentally sick, proceed from there. If not mentally sick, everybody would feel justified that he stays in prison. No issue about respecting the laws that Najib spoke about. Nobody suggests breaking any law.

Najib suggests giving counselling services. It has been pointed out that forensic psychiatrist Bill Glaser wrote in the Australian Institute of Criminology Research and Public Policy that locking such a person up would actually make it worse for both him and potential victims. And doing so in prison without a specialist doctor determining the state of his mental health – and medicating him if necessary – disregards that. And that was research on Paedophilia Policy and Prevention.

But Najib is the boss. Shafie Afdal and Anifah Aman have to tow the line. I’m an ordinary voter. I’ll have to think seriously who to vote at PRU14. For now, Najib has closed the case. Sad.